Brazil is in South West America. It’s surrounded by many landforms. Its relative location is near the Amazon, the Brazilian Highlands, the Guiana Highlands and Pantanal. It is bordered to the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. To the west it’s bordered by Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The south occupies Uruguay and Argentina. The Atlantic Ocean is to the East. It borders all South American countries except Chili and Ecuador. The absolute location is 10 degrees south and 55 degrees west. To get from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Brasilia, Brazil it would be close to 4,266 miles in the South West direction. Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is a large, unbroken piece of land. Because of the Atlantic Ocean, it has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers. It’s also the fifth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, and the US and the third largest in the Americas. The total area is 8.5 million square kilometers. Brazil’s climate varies according to latitude and elevation. It has a wide range of weather conditions. Most of it is in the tropical zone and it stays wet all year around. Seasons change in the Northern Hemisphere so winter is June through September while summer is November through March. Summer ranges from 75-100 degrees Fahrenheit. It is usually warm summers and cold winters. The summer is rainy and the winter is dry. Some of the major physical features in Brazil are the Amazon Basin, the Atlantic Coast, the Guiana Highlands, the Paranaque Basin and the Brazilian Highlands. Rice, black beans, and a root like vegetable called maniocare the main foods for many Brazilians. The national dish is feijoad, (a thick stew of black beans and pieces of pork and other meats). They celebrate some of the same major holidays we do. They celebrate Christmas, New Years, Labor Day and Independence Day. The difference is that they celebrate Labor Day in May and Independence Day on September 7th. They also celebrate Children’s Day and All Souls Day. The major cities in Brazil are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Manaus, and Brasilia which is also the capital.
Human Rights
There are many human rights issues that occur in Brazil today. Most of the violations that occur with different groups are with women, children, and colored people, generally not men as much. Violence against women and children include sexual abuse, trafficking, and the spread of child labor. Brazilian government fails to enforce labor laws. There is also discrimination and enslavement against colored people. The government commits many crimes and is not prosecuted for corruption. Some of the problems reported are unlawful killings, torture, beatings and abuse. The government is not able to protect the witnesses involved in criminal cases. The people that are most affected by these human rights violation are women, children, minorities, and prisoners. Violence against people by government and police often gets ignored or covered up by authorities.
Population Information
Current population-203,429,773
Population density-22 people per sq. km.
Age distribution-0-14 years:26.2%,15-64 years:67%,65 years and over:6.7%
Natural Rate of Increase (NRI)-1.3
Literacy Rate-88.6%
Infant mortality rate (per 1000) -21.17 deaths
Life expectancy-72.53 years
Ethnic groups-white 53%, mixed black and white 38.5%, black 6.2%, other unspecified .7%
Main language-Portuguese
Economic Information
Currency and exchange rate against US dollar-the real, 1 US dollar =1.60680 Brazilian Real
Industries-textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Imports and Import Partners-machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics
US 16.12%, China 12.61%, Argentina 8.77%, Germany 7.65%, Japan 4.3%
Exports and export partners-transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
China 12.49%, US 10.5%, Argentina 8.4%, Netherlands 5.39%, Germany 4.05%
GDP-$2.194 trillion/GDP per capita-$10,900
Unemployment rate-7%
Environmental Issues
One major environmental issue is deforestation in the Amazon Basin. It has been a problem for a long time, destroying the habitat and endangering multiple plants and animals. It also causes soils and vegetation of drylands to be severely degraded. Another problem is pollution and waste. Renegade miners are dumping mercury into rivers from Mercury Separation. Illegal wildlife trading ruining habitats is a big problem. Expansion of agriculture is also threatening rare habitats. These habitats are some of the most diverse ecosystems and are converted to forest growing plantations. Oil spills are also a problem. Water and air pollution are both effected by it.
Works cited
“Brazil .” US Department of State
. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm>.
“Brazil Environment-Current Issues.” Index Mundi. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2011. Brazil Holidays. Best Holidays in Brazil, n.d. Web. 4 May 2011. “Brazil-Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette.” Kwintessential. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011. Brazil-the Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://countrystudies.us/brazil/25.htm>. CIA World Factbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2011. “Climate in Brazil.” El DMC. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011. Holiday, Jane. The Library of Western Hemisphere. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print. Excerpt from Introduction. Exploring Brazil with the 5 Themes of Geography. By Jane Holiday. Ed. Geeta Sobha. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. 6-7. “Major cities, Brazil, South America.” Costasur. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011. “Overview of Brazil.” Federative Republic of Brazil . N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2011. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Brazil.html>
Table of Contents
of
Brazil
Political Information
Brazil is in South West America. It’s surrounded by many landforms. Its relative location is near the Amazon, the Brazilian Highlands, the Guiana Highlands and Pantanal. It is bordered to the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. To the west it’s bordered by Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The south occupies Uruguay and Argentina. The Atlantic Ocean is to the East. It borders all South American countries except Chili and Ecuador. The absolute location is 10 degrees south and 55 degrees west. To get from Lancaster,
Pennsylvania to Brasilia, Brazil it would be close to 4,266 miles in the South West direction. Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is a large, unbroken piece of land. Because of the Atlantic Ocean, it has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers. It’s also the fifth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, and the US and the third largest in the Americas. The total area is 8.5 million square kilometers.
Brazil’s climate varies according to latitude and elevation. It has a wide range of weather conditions. Most of it is in the tropical zone and it stays wet all year around. Seasons change in the Northern Hemisphere so winter is June through September while summer is November through March. Summer ranges from 75-100 degrees Fahrenheit. It is usually warm summers and cold winters. The summer is rainy and the winter is dry.
Some of the major physical features in Brazil are the Amazon Basin, the Atlantic Coast, the Guiana Highlands, the Paranaque Basin and the Brazilian Highlands. Rice, black beans, and a root like vegetable called maniocare the main foods for many Brazilians. The national dish is feijoad, (a thick stew of black beans and pieces of pork and other meats). They celebrate some of the same major holidays we do. They celebrate Christmas, New Years, Labor Day and Independence Day. The difference is that they celebrate Labor Day in May and Independence Day on September 7th. They also celebrate Children’s Day and All Souls Day. The major cities in Brazil are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Manaus, and Brasilia which is also the capital.
Human Rights
There are many human rights issues that occur in Brazil today. Most of the violations that occur with different groups are with women, children, and colored people, generally not men as much. Violence against women and children include sexual abuse, trafficking, and the spread of child labor. Brazilian government fails to enforce labor laws. There is also discrimination and enslavement against colored people.
The government commits many crimes and is not prosecuted for corruption. Some of the problems reported are unlawful killings, torture, beatings and abuse. The government is not able to protect the witnesses involved in criminal cases. The people that are most affected by these human rights violation are women, children, minorities, and prisoners. Violence against people by government and police often gets ignored or covered up by authorities.
Population Information
Current population-203,429,773
Population density-22 people per sq. km.
Age distribution-0-14 years:26.2%,15-64 years:67%,65 years and over:6.7%
Natural Rate of Increase (NRI)-1.3
Literacy Rate-88.6%
Infant mortality rate (per 1000) -21.17 deaths
Life expectancy-72.53 years
Ethnic groups-white 53%, mixed black and white 38.5%, black 6.2%, other unspecified .7%
Main language-Portuguese
Economic Information
Currency and exchange rate against US dollar-the real, 1 US dollar =1.60680 Brazilian Real
Natural resources-Iron Ore, Manganese, Bauxite, Nickel, Granite, Limestone, Clay, Sand, Tin, Gold, Platinum, Uranium , Gems, Petroleum, Phosphates, Timber, Hydroelectric Power
Agriculture products-coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Industries-textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Imports and Import Partners-machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics
US 16.12%, China 12.61%, Argentina 8.77%, Germany 7.65%, Japan 4.3%
Exports and export partners-transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
China 12.49%, US 10.5%, Argentina 8.4%, Netherlands 5.39%, Germany 4.05%
GDP-$2.194 trillion/GDP per capita-$10,900
Unemployment rate-7%
Environmental Issues
One major environmental issue is deforestation in the Amazon Basin. It has been a problem for a long time, destroying the habitat and endangering multiple plants and animals. It also causes soils and vegetation of drylands to be severely degraded. Another problem is pollution and waste. Renegade miners are dumping mercury into rivers from Mercury Separation.
Illegal wildlife trading ruining habitats is a big problem. Expansion of agriculture is also threatening rare habitats. These habitats are some of the most diverse ecosystems and are converted to forest growing plantations. Oil spills are also a problem. Water and air pollution are both effected by it.
Works cited
“Brazil .” US Department of State
. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm>.
“Brazil Environment-Current Issues.” Index Mundi. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2011.
Brazil Holidays. Best Holidays in Brazil, n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
“Brazil-Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette.” Kwintessential. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
Brazil-the Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://countrystudies.us/brazil/25.htm>.
CIA World Factbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2011.
“Climate in Brazil.” El DMC. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011.
Holiday, Jane. The Library of Western Hemisphere. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print. Excerpt from Introduction. Exploring Brazil with the 5 Themes of Geography. By Jane Holiday. Ed. Geeta Sobha. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. 6-7.
“Major cities, Brazil, South America.” Costasur. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2011.
“Overview of Brazil.”
Federative Republic of Brazil
. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2011. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Brazil.html>